The Easter Story Cookies

To be made the evening before Easter.

You need:

1 cup whole pecans

1 tsp. vinegar

3 egg whites

pinch salt

1 cup sugar

zipper baggie

wooden spoon

tape

A Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. This is important! Don’t wait until you’re half done with the recipe!

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.

Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar.

Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl.

Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.

Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life.

Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.

Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and

brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.

Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing.

Add 1 cup sugar.

Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died

because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.

Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.

Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that

Jesus’ tomb was sealed.

Read Matt. 27:65-66.

NOW GO TO BED!

Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was

sealed.

Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Read Matt. 28:1-9

Share “The Easter Cookie Story” With Your Friends.

[Via http://trinitykids.wordpress.com]

Every day should be Mothers' Day

Each year millions of women worldwide face death, serious illness and permanent disability because of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. And, in addition to risking their own lives and health, mothers in many parts of the world face losing their children too. Last year, almost 9 million children under five died, 40 per cent of them in the first month of their lives.

Such statistics are chilling and compelling but also incredible in a world where basic care for mothers and their children should be a guaranteed right for all.

Amnesty International’s new campaign to gain support for a Mum’s Manifesto and to begin addressing this shameful situation is starting by trying to get the support of the UK’s major political leaders in advance of the general election due to take place later this year.

We all have – or have had – a mother and we should do what we can to support this campaign.

[Via http://weayaya.wordpress.com]

Things to do with your Family in downtown San Diego!

Need to spend some quality time with your family? Here is a list of family-friendly fun places in downtown San Diego!!!…

• The New Children’s Museum. Think, play, create and visit The New Children’s Museum. Check out the newly designed green building with transparent, flexible spaces exposing the buildings construction and design. Visit the gallery childsplay or give the kids a chance to create at one of the many studios. Open daily from 9a.m. to 4 p.m, closed wednesdays. Adults and Children: $10, Seniors and Military: $5, Children under one: Free NCM Members: Free. Designed for children from toddler to teen. 200 West Island Avenue,Downtown San Diego. Corner of Front Street and West Island Avenue. www.thinkplaycreate.org

• Get ready to enjoy the sights and sounds of the magnificent San Diego Bay as you embark on a Hornblower cruise! Hornblower Cruises & Events welcomes you aboard comfortable yachts touring beautiful San Diego Bay. Relax in comfort on the observation deck while a professional crew narrates the rich history, local points of interest and facts about San Diego landmarks and military. Catering to your interests, Hornblower cruises boasts several boating options. www.hornblower.com

• The Omni San Diego Hotel, the ONLY MLB Park physically connected to a hotel, links Padres fans to PETCO Park via a skybridge. Within the hotel is also a complimentary baseball memorabilia museum featuring the gloves, bats and uniforms of famous players as well as photos and other miscellaneous treasures. Among the most notable items are the cleats Joe DiMaggio wore during his 1941 56-game hitting streak. 675 L Street. www.omnihotels.com

• Old Town Trolley Tours invites you to come along with San Diego’s best tour conductors as they combine colorful anecdotes, humorous stories and well researched historical information into a fast moving two hour narrative that’s both entertaining and educational. Join them as they turn back the pages of history and relive San Diego’s early days as it became the Birthplace of California. In Old Town San Diego (sometimes called the “Jamestown of the Pacific”), you will experience early Americana with its distinctive “West Coast Style” Spanish flavor. You will have the opportunity to get off at any of the convenient stops situated close to all popular attractions, shops and restaurants. When you’re ready, just re-board the trolley and it’s on with the tour! Spend as much time as you like in any of the locations as you make one complete loop. On the tour you will see and visit: Old Town State Park, Seaport Village, Horton Plaza, Coronado Island, Hotel Del Coronado, San Diego Zoo, Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego Museum of Art, Natural History Museum, Aerospace Museum, Lindbergh Field, Naval Station San Diego, Balboa Park, El Prado, Heritage Park, Star of India, Whaley House and much, much more! www.trolleytours.com/San-Diego/

• Now there’s a faster, more exotic way take in the awe-inspiring scenery of San Diego Bay. Next Level Sailing offers the ultimate sailing experience: racing, leisure cruising, day charters or learning to sail on 80-foot International America’s Cup Class (IACC) yachts. It’s by far the finest sailing experience America’s Finest City has to offer. In a 2 hour excursion you can sit back and relax as you glide through San Diego Bay, breezing by popular sites including America’s Cup Harbor, Coronado Bay Bridge, San Diego Convention Center, Downtown San Diego Skyline, Cabrillo National Monument, North Island Naval Airstation and much more. www.nextlevelsailing.com

• Enjoy Balboa Park – a special place where you can experience San Diego’s natural beauty, wonderful art and culture and stunning Spanish Revival architecture. There are so many things to do and see in the Park: museums ranging from art to science to air and space to natural history or anthropology, performing arts from plays at the Tony Award® -winning Old Globe to concerts on the magnificent Spreckels Organ Pavilion outdoor stage, lush landscaping and lovely gardens, the world famous San Diego Zoo, places for fun with families and recreation for all and, of course, unique shopping, restaurants and casual outdoor dinning. www.balboapark.org

• Make a Splash on the SEAL TOUR! Experience San Diego as it was meant to be appreciated, by land and by sea! The brand new “Hydra Terra’s” provide you with the unique ability to see America’s Finest City on San Diego’s only amphibious sightseeing tour. This 90-minute fully-narrated journey departs from Seaport Village located on Harbor Drive at the Embarcadero. As you travel along our beautiful Big Bay by land, you will hear the stories of early sailors as well as the history of our 14-mile long working bay. You also will learn about the importance of the military here in San Diego. The tour on land takes you past the San Diego International Airport dedicated to aviator Charles Lindbergh, just one of the many people you will hear about on your tour. www.sealtours.com

• Live the adventure! Experience Midway Magic at the USS Midway San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum. Honor the legend aboard the longest-serving aircraft carrier in U.S. Navy history–a 47 year odyssey that spanned the end of WWII and the liberation of Kuwait in 1991! Located downtown in San Diego at Navy Pier, Midway provides a dynamic and enriching experience “from boiler to bridge.” A visit to Midway instills a greater appreciation for courage, freedom, and service to country. The museum features a self-guided audio tour with admission to more than 40 exhibits and 21 restored aircraft, interactive, story-telling docents, many of them Midway veterans, more than 40 exhibits and displays, access to engineering, mess deck, berthing spaces, foc’s’le, hangar deck, officers country, flight deck and the island superstructure, two types of optional flight simulators and 21 completely restored aircraft, with more on the way! www.midway.org

• Experience Seaport Village, the 14-acre waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment complex, recreating a harbor side setting of a century ago. Includes 57 one of a kind shops, 13 casual dining eateries and four fine dining waterfront restaurants. Walk along the four miles of meandering cobblestone pathways bordered by ponds, lakes, fountains and colorful, lush landscaping. A monthly calendar features live musical entertainment including blues, jazz, country and swing. A talented cast of street performers and artisans including jugglers, caricaturists, mimes, face painters, balloon sculptors and oriental brush artists complete the line up. Be sure not to miss the historic antique carousel with hand carved animals by Charles Looff in 1895. This carousel features 54 animals, 13 of which are menagerie animals, including a giraffe, dragon, teddy bear, elephant, camel, dog, lion and more. It also includes 2 horse-drawn chariots. “This is one of the two best carousels in the entire nation,” says Brad Perron, owner of Historic Carousels. “Most of the carved animals on carousels of this vintage have been sold to individual collectors. And they just don’t make them this way anymore.” www.seaportvillage.com

• The stirring San Diego Maritime Museum north of the B Street Pier (1306 N. Harbor Dr., 234-9153), which is home to the majestic, 142-year-old barque, Star of India, the world’s oldest ship still able to go to sea. The Star of India is berthed with the historic steam ferry Berkeley and the historic steam yacht Medea. Over her remarkable career, the beautifully restored Star of India, which started her career as a cargo ship sailing between Great Britain and India, circumnavigated the globe 21 times, bringing tens of thousands of colonists from Britain to New Zealand and even serving a stint in the Bering Sea. www.sdmaritime.com

• A spoonful of downtown’s “Rowdy West” heritage makes the history lesson go down as pure pleasure. The Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation, which is located in the 150-year-old William Heath Davis House at 410 Island Avenue (“New Town” San Diego’s oldest structure), is the point of departure for a leisurely self-guided audio tour, narrated by “Wyatt Earp” and his misses. For a more touchy-feely experience, the Foundation offers guided walking tours at 11 a.m. Saturdays, also departing from the Davis House. Donations are suggested for both tours. The Foundation will even customize a special-focus group tour (Ghosts of the Gaslamp, anyone?), given a month’s notice. For information on tour options, call 233-4692 — and don’t be startled when “Alonzo Horton,” the Father of New Town San Diego, answers. www.gaslampquarter.org

• Be sure to not miss out on the famous Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop. Take a seat and enjoy the warm day with an ice-cream cone or stop in for an after-dinner treat which is sure to be a hit with the kids. Designed to be shared among many people their sundaes come loaded with bananas, eight different toppings, whipped cream, nuts and of course cherries! For more information call 619.234.2449 or visit www.ghirardelli.com

- SDGoDowntown.com

[Via http://92101istheanswer.wordpress.com]

Motivation, Right Brain Thinking and Expats

I almost didn’t write it down.  At the FIGT conference Diane Endo was giving a presentation on the challenges of Midlife Transition for accompanying spouses and partners – pretty much a custom-made topic for me at the moment.  She mentioned the name Daniel Pink and said he had a lot interesting stuff to say on motivation.  For some reason I made a note of his name, although at the time I thought “Oh no, another motivational guru!”  But yesterday I went to his website and this led me to this video of him speaking.  I was fascinated.  What he was talking about was the SCIENCE of motivation – cold, hard facts – not airy-fairy theories.  It’s quite a long presentation, in two parts, but don’t be put off – he’s an entertaining speaker and his subject matter is compelling.

You may wonder how this relates to expats.  Two ways occured to me. 

His main point that cash (above and beyond a fair amount) does not motivate employees should be food for thought for those involved in putting together expat packages.  Many of the “soft” benefits discussed at the FIGT conference – intercultural training, spousal career advice, educational counselling, for example, might actually be cheaper, or at least more effective in ensuring assignment success than hardship allowances, locational uplifts, annual bonuses, etc.

During this next presentation it occured to me that a lot of the skills he talks about encouraging, as they are so necessary in today’s business world, the right brain abilities of artistry, empathy, inventiveness and big picture thinking,  these are exactly the traits held by successful expats and commonly found in TCKs. 

[Via http://expatriatelife.wordpress.com]

BA - B****r All

Labour’s lucrative links to Unite – 2 m members – Labour Party’s largest donour – £11m – 160 Unite members within Parliament – a third of these in Govt positions – 25 Peers – Charlie Whelan GB’s former spokesman is Unites Political Director [flexing his muscles] and still holds a lot of clout despite being forced out in 1999 after [being Brutus] leaking Peter [Macheavilian] Mandelson’s first resignation from the Cabinet over a home loan procured from another Labour MP.

You be the Jury

[Via http://anantmvyas.wordpress.com]

Being socially awkward

My lecturer used a very good phrase last Wednesday in my class. He used the phrase:

Socially Awkward

To describe the guys in the film American Pie. This phrase had me thinking a lot, and I realized it’s actually a perfect way to describe me. I am socially awkward. Incredibly, in fact. I’m just a generally awkward person. I’m also not very affectionate. People have to make the first move with me, whether it be being friends with me or anything really. I get way too embarrassed and just end up making a fool out of myself.

Theres 3 times of people I can’t deal with, and that’s:

1) Children.

I can’t stand to be around children. Even that pic I’ve put up there gives me the creeps. People go ‘Awww I want her/him’ typically to babies, I go ‘ewww, why would you want that?’ For some reason Teresa + children = bad times. They don’t seem to like me anyway, I think they sense the bad waves coming off of me. I really don’t know how to act around children. I lack the mothering instinct. People talk to me about stupid things their child has done and I just kinda nod and smile and pretend to be interested when really, I couldn’t give a shit. The worst thing is when you’re in a shop, and a child comes up and hits you or does something to aggravate you (i.e. dance in the middle of a really narrow aisle when you want to get past) and the mother looks at you and laughs as if to say “Oh, look how funny she is” expecting you to laugh back. Instead, I pull a straight face and look to the side as if to say “control your child, it’s really fucking annoying me”. I really dislike children if you haven’t already noticed.

2) Sick/ill people

I can’t deal with it. Especially hospitals, they freak me out. I went to one the other day with my friend because her mum works there, and it was awful. You see people being milled about on these little beds and the smell made me nauseous. I  don’t know how to react when someone tells me they’re sick. And I’m not talking about the stupid kind of sick, where the conversation goes like this:

Me: How are you?

Person: Yeh, good. Apart from my head hurts and Ive got a migraine and my foot hurts and blah blah blah I’m so boring.

NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR LIFE STORY, STFU! My friend once fainted in class and I freaked out. What the hell was I supposed to do? My mum had a stomach bug not so long ago, and after she was done being sick and everything she had a go at me coz I ran away upstairs. Vomit is the worst smell in the world and the sound of someone ralphing is gross.

3) Old people

Firstly, LOL at that picture. Secondly. a bit like children, I’m generally awkward around them. Especially when they talk to you when you’re at the bus stop, minding your own business, and talk about how late buses are and the weather. Surely they had more interesting things to talk about when they were younger? Why don’t they talk about those things now?

You’re probably thinking now I’m not very people-friendly. Well, in all honesty, I’m not. So I’ve been told, when you first meet me, you don’t like me. Which is kinda mean, but whatever. I take that same approach to people. When I first meet people, I first say hi disliking them already and I guess it’s their job to make me like them. Sounds weird and fucked up, but hey, I can’t help it. I’m socially awkward

[Via http://thewonderfulworldofteresa.wordpress.com]

no looking back

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind…No more shall there be an infant that lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a  hundred years old shall be accursed.  They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.”  Isaiah 65: 17, 20-21

how ironic it was, that during Lent, “surviving Christmas” was on tv last night.  there was not much of a choice, because for weeks now, the different networks had presented almost the same set of movies, just on different time slots.

going back to the movie…it starred Ben Affleck and Christina Applegate.  it was a comedy about a man who was willing to pay a huge amount of money to a family just to spend Christmas with him.  it was an odd story, and it got me bored after a while.  (i prefer Ben in action or drama like ‘reindeer games’ and ‘changing lanes’.)

but somehow, the scene in which he stared sadly outside his window on Christmas morning caught my attention.    drew (ben) watched other people in their respective windows just across his  apartment.  one thing is common except for one. they celebrated Christmas together as family.  and that scene moved me to tears because it reminded me of daddy and how our following Christmases will never be the same again without him.

as i remembered how sad it was, my mind travelled back to the time when he was still with us.  how i have been as a daughter to him.  and i wondered if i felt short of his expectations of me.  or if he was proud of what i had become.  how daddy really felt about his eldest daughter, i will never ever know.

i realized that when my mind wanders back to the past, it evokes a certain kind of pain.  the pain which emanates from the mistakes that i made.  or maybe call them bad choices.  because only later did i realize, that in everything that i did, there were times that things didn’t really work out as planned.  even with good intentions.  and in every moment that they didn’t, it was not only me who gets disappointed and hurt.  but all those who truly love and care for me.  such as my daddy and mommy.

funny to mention it here.  but they say it’s hard to look back when you have stiff neck.  i’d say it’s best not to look back at all.  because when i do, i see every detail of not only what was beautiful and happy, but the ugly and sad truth as well.

i’d say it’s best to carry on.  because the past had already served its purpose.  it already strengthened a person’s character.  it already developed one’s personality.  and it already enhanced the beauty of a human being, so much so that its soul transcends to a higher level.  and a deeper meaning of one’s existence is realized.  a better self evolves.  what was once a dark past, becomes a radiant present.

i’d say i move on. as if i have stiff neck.  by God’s grace and mercy, i move on as a better person… that is, an authentic blend of past experiences, lessons learned and memories that really matter.  be they happy or sad, painful or sweet. 

there’s no need to look back.  my significant past becomes the essence of me…

[Via http://angel119.wordpress.com]